Hi jms!

With your headaches (are they headaches or migraines?) do you have any other symptoms such as tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or hearing your pulse in your ears?

Check out our article on Intracranial Hypertension (formerly called Pseudotumer Cerebri) and see if any of the signs fit you. The only way to test for IIH is by a lumbar puncture.

This could explain the pain becoming worse when you lay down, due to the spinal fluid around the base of the skull.

Feel free to come back and ask questions and let us know if we can be of more help.

Good luck!

I also have the same problem when lying down.  I used relpax for a year and ran out of my 14 pills every month. I then decided i did not want to be on drugs anymore and kept searching for the reason WHY I get migraines in the first place. I had daily migraines for app 3 years.  I love ranch dressing, chinese food and  mocha frappachinos from Starbucks.  I found this book HEAL YOUR HEADACHE THE 123 PROGRAM by David Bucholz, M.D.  He explains how MSG is the root cause of triggering our migraines.  It is hard and I am not faithful in eleminating everything but when I throw my chinese food back in I am usually doomed the next day. I call them couch days beacuase its easier than lying down in bed. I still lay down almost every nite and after 5 to 10 min have a headache but when I get up in the am I can usually bring that down to a 1 or 2 just by being up.  I recommend the book as a sterting point for EVERYONE.    It has changed my life I have not seen a Dr in 5 months I was having to get a demerol shot app every 6 weeks with a preventitive and relpax.  I am on no drugs just staying away from my enemies  F O O D!!!!!!